


Lies and Secrets

by SophiaBoo



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: M/M, rhink
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-18
Updated: 2017-01-18
Packaged: 2018-09-18 11:36:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9383291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophiaBoo/pseuds/SophiaBoo





	1. “Why don’t you go and pay him a visit?”

It was raining heavily when I decided to call Rhett. My best friend had been absent from work for a week and I would give him a quick call every day to check on him. That Friday his voice sounded different.

“You having a sore throat?” I asked while making my way to our office’s couch.

“Yes, feels like an awful tingling in the back of my throat. Like… I can’t even talk without having cough fi—“, he said and matter-of-factly coughed loudly.

“I see…” said I lazily, playing with a loose thread on one of the pillows.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“I should’ve taken better care of myself and I’m only getting worse.”

He sounded genuinely upset, but I wasn’t in the mood for pep talk, so I remained silent.

“How’s the office?” He continued, clearly not expecting sweet words from me anyway. “Has Eddie already eaten all the leftovers from last Tuesday?”

“Course he has. He first suggested I should bring those to you, but we don’t want to add food poisoning to your list, do we?”

Rhett’s laugh was so loud I had to move my ear away from the phone.

We spent the next few seconds in silence until Rhett spoke again:

“I’ll be there on Monday, I promise.”

“No rush… We have enough material to cover another week.”

“We do?”

“Yeah, I think so… I don’t know, really. Do whatever you want…”

“Don’t miss me too hard, buddy.”

This time I laughed.

“Let me know if you need anything… Don’t know what that could be, but you let me know, m-kay?”

“Will do. Thanks.”

“Bye, Rhett.”

“Bye.”

I set the phone aside on the couch as Stevie walked into the room with an inquisitive look.

“Still sick,” I informed her, taking my glasses off and stroking my eyes. I was feeling a bit tired now the work had doubled up.

“Not good, huh? How about you go home for the day? I can reschedule what we have left for next week.”

I considered the idea for a second or two as we heard the loudest of thunders.

“Actually, you know what, Stevie? Let’s all go home for the day.”

I got up and walked past her very confused face.

“You sure? It is really no prob--”

“Yeah, completely sure. I’ll see you on Monday. Thanks for the coffee.” I turned around to see her face again and she was now smiling.

“Ooookay, no problem!”

The ride home was a very boring one. I was so used to drive with Rhett on my side that after five days of doing it on my own I realized how much of a necessary company my friend was. It didn’t really amaze me to discover I had a good memory for every conversation I’d held with him and could recall all of them after passing different avenues and shops. Everything reminded me of him.

I soon found I was able to replicate a perfect Rhett in my mind who would make excited remarks on random things I would lay my eyes on. I decided he would never know this.

When I pulled over on the entrance of the building, I could see my girlfriend’s face almost glued to our window on the second floor and her expression was a mixture of surprise and relief to see me back that early.

We had moved together to a small but nice apartment a couple of months before, and that was enough time for me to realize how crappy I was to live with. Christy always firmly denied it, but I had this weird paranoid feeling she would walk out the door any given day.

I walked up the stairs with heavy feet. Our new short and chubby neighbor waived at me with a silly grin on his face, but I didn’t react until I was already past him.

“Hey”, I think I said. That was enough to bring me back to reality and realize, just in time, that I was right in front of my door. I frowned and I made my way in.

“Everything okay, Link?” Christy wanted to know as soon as I entered, a fake smile on my lips.

Of course she would notice.

“Yep, we decided it was best to take the rest of the day off. Sent everyone home.”

She stroke my face and gave me the same sympathetic smile she would give one of her students after they told her they missed their mom.

“No,” I said before she could speak out her thoughts.

“I didn’t say anything!” she snorted, her accent coming through very strongly.

“I know what you’re thinking and it’s not that.”

“Okay… Then what is it?”

“I can do just fine on my own, Christy.”

She sighed.

“What’s so wrong about missing your best friend?”

I held her gaze for a few seconds before I rolled my eyes and walked into the bathroom.

She resumed the chat from the other side of the door and I sighed in frustration.

“Why don’t you go and pay him a visit?”

“It’s not like he’s dying or anything. Just leave it already, babe.”

I washed my hands and my face very quickly, half expecting her reply, which never came. I put my glasses back on. The reflection on the mirror returned the image of a tired man, bags too noticeable under the frames. I looked down, troubled. Rhett was already commenting on the state of my face inside my head. His voice sounded even louder than the water that was still running over the sink.

“This is stupid”, I whispered as I turned the tap off.

When I finally opened the bathroom door, Christy was giving me that smile again.

“Alright, you won.” I heard her laugh while grabbed my leather jacket from the hanger. I snorted and gave her a quick smooch on the cheek. About two minutes later I was on

the road again, driving in direction to Rhett’s apartment.

It wasn’t until I arrived to his street that I decided it was best to let him know I was there. I rummaged for my phone and typed as quickly as I could.

_On my way to see you._

Rhett’s reply came after a full minute.

_I wouldn’t do that if I were you._

_Why not?_

_Germs and stuff._

I thought about my response with extreme care.

_I could do with a one week vacation as well…_

I laughed sarcastically at my own comment and wasn’t done laughing when Rhett’s message appeared below mine.

_I can see your car outside. I’m sick, not blind._

Oops.

_That doesn’t mean I’m there as well._

_Link…_

_Yes?_

_Please grow up._

_:)_

I had just sent the smiley when I got a text from Christy.

_Jessie just texted… She asked if things were ok bt you and Rhett??_

I frowned. Why would she ask that?

_She mentioned how weird it was that he hasn’t been to the office all week. Are you there already??_

My heart skipped a beat.

My phone was back in my pocket and me out of the car before I even had time to realize it. I heard Christy send another text, surely a repeat of a question for which I’d never provided an answer, but I was already slamming my fist on Rhett’s door.

When he opened, his face was full of regret. He could barely look me in the eye. What a douche.

“You know,” I began, hands inside my jean’s pockets. “I should really pay more attention to what we talk about on the show.”

“Link…”

“Too much detail indicates a potential lie, wasn’t it?”

“Link, I’m so—“

“No, I’m the one who’s sorry,” I interrupted as Jessie became visible behind him, clearly frightened. What I said next was directed to her, but I didn’t actually take my eyes off Rhett: “I shouldn’t have slammed your door like that, but I had a really tough week.”

“What’s going on?” Jessie asked.

“We should take this outside, but I don’t know… You could catch a cold, a real one this time.” I faked a smile.

Rhett sighed. “Yes, sure, let’s.”

He closed the door with a very worn out expression on his bearded face and guided me several steps away from his house until we were at his neighbor’s front yard. What was he hiding from? He was still not able to look directly at me; instead, the floor seemed to interest him more. I tried to grab his attention by snapping my fingers very close to his face.

“So?”

“I’m very sorry I lied to you like that, man.” His voice sounded weak and as a result my whole body felt the same.

My own voice failed to sound menacing when I asked: “What’s wrong, Rhett?”

My friend’s mouth became a thin line when he finally laid eyes on me. “I can’t.”

“What?”

“I can’t. I feel horrible.”

“What in the world, man, just spit it out!”

Rhett grabbed both of my arms and leaned closer to me. His tall figure looked so small all of a sudden.

“I’ve been… I have been…” His voice broke and I saw his eyes were starting to water.

I took a deep breath and held it. “Are you cheating on Jessie?”

Rhett’s eyes widened and it all was clear to me.

I couldn’t help but take one step away from him and release myself from his grab. “This is fucked up, man.”

“I’m so sorry, Link.”

“Why are you saying sorry to me?” Rhett took a step and shortened the distance again, face full of fear. “Wait… Is that the freaking reason you missed work an entire week?”

“I couldn’t… face you knowing I was behaving like this… Link, you don’t understand.”

“Of course I don’t!” Rhett signaled me to lower my voice. I whispered with no chill whatsoever: “You’re still under the same roof as her, but it’s me you take distance from? And how long were you planning to miss work, anyway?!”

“I’ve not been thinking straight lately…”

“Clearly you have NOT!”

Rhett’s defeated look indicated he had not been expecting support from me anyway.

I wanted nothing more than to shake the sense out of him, but I couldn’t really move, so my only resource was to remind him how little sense the whole thing made to me.

“Forgive me if I’m missing something but this is freaking ridiculous!!”

“I know it is…”

“How long--? Who--?” But did I really want to know?

My best friend opened his mouth but I was already holding my hand up. I needed to step away from that pitiful face before I punched it.

“I don’t… Leave it. I need to… I’m sorry, man, but this is too...”

Rhett took a step back and drove his attention back to the floor again. Was that all he had? Nothing else to say for himself?

I looked at him in disbelief.

“Oh my Gosh…” was all I could mutter while I shook my head on the way back to my car and pulled the door with shaky hands.

I started the engine and drove away as fast as I could, already thinking of a version of the visit to lie to my own girlfriend about.


	2. Lies

Could I really successfully lie at Christy?

This question kept repeating itself as I drove back to our flat. The wind coming through the open window made my arguably too long hair flap on my face. It wasn’t bothering me, though. Or maybe it was the fact that there wasn’t really any space in my mind for anything else other than the image of Rhett making out with some faceless chick.

For about five minutes I worked on trying to pinpoint what exactly was bugging me so much about the idea. Was it the mere act of cheating committed by someone who to that point I believed to have my same moral principles? He and Jessie sure had one foot on the altar, at least to my eyes. Was that not the case? Had I been missing something?

Was it, instead, the fact that it could be someone we both knew? How was it possible that I didn’t notice, then? 

Someone new, perhaps? How could my best friend be in touch with someone I didn’t even know existed?

No, that wasn’t it. That was not the reason I was so angry.

He had been missing work because of it. He couldn’t look me in the eye.


End file.
